Chapter 700: You Are Not Devout Enough
Upon entering the God Temple, Yang Haoran's eyes immediately fell upon a God Statue.
The statue sat cross-legged, sporting two heads. One head was that of a handsome young man, a wicked smile playing on his lips. The other was a hideous, terrifying ghostly face, its expression a mix of weeping and laughter, joy and rage, giving off a feeling that was both horrific and uncanny.
Beyond that, the statue’s hands were a prominent feature: boneless, they were twisted around its waist like a braided rope.
This God Statue was, without a doubt, a true Spiritualist God Statue.
This Spiritualist God Statue was not particularly tall, standing only about two meters high. However, for a small God Temple such as this, a two-meter statue was already quite imposing.
The statue stood at the very center of the God Temple. On either side, several smaller God Statues were arranged. Without exception, all of these were Spiritualist God Statues as well.
In front of the main statue, an offering table was laid out, laden with a pig's head, fish, meat, and various common fruits.
“To make today’s temple fair truly presentable, I butchered the only pig my family had. ”
“The value of a pig isn’t low these days, Old Town Head. You’re truly generous,” Yang Haoran said, a surprised look on his face.
“Haha, it’s just a pig. It can satisfy the cravings of the tongue and fulfill basic needs, but it cannot satisfy me spiritually. By sacrificing it, I can not only make an offering to my God, expressing my devotion, but also allow everyone else in town to enjoy some meat. What is there to be reluctant about? ”
The Old Town Head let out a hearty laugh, then took out three incense sticks and handed them to Yang Haoran.
“Come, be more devout. Once you’ve paid your respects to my God, I’ll gift you a God Statue. ”
Yang Haoran took the offering incense and, in a perfunctory manner, bowed to the Spiritualist God Statue. However, unlike the other believers who prostrated themselves in kowtow, he merely gave a slight bow to show respect, then inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner.
The Old Town Head witnessed this, his smile freezing for a moment. As he registered it, his smile vanished, his brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of helplessness crossed his face as he gently shook his head.
“Sir, you’re not devout enough. Worshipping a deity isn’t like meeting an official; you need to show utmost devotion, not merely go through the motions. ”
Yang Haoran’s face showed an embarrassed expression as he awkwardly responded.
“Heh heh, the Old Town Head is right. I truly don’t understand this aspect at all. After all, I’ve never believed in any deity before; I’m a complete blank slate in this regard. In the future, I’ll need to seek more guidance from you, Old Town Head, which will inevitably cause you some trouble. ”
The Old Town Head had originally intended to make Yang Haoran worship again, insisting that he perform the kowtow ritual. But seeing Yang Haoran's good attitude, his sincere tone, and the subtle flattery in his words, the expression on his face softened somewhat. He didn't force Yang Haoran to immediately perform the grand kowtow ritual again.
How could Yang Haoran not know how to worship a deity? It was just that he had no intention of performing a grand kowtow ritual to the Spiritualist God. If he really did that, even if the Death God didn't suddenly jump out and bite him to death, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Moreover, what kind of deity was this Spiritualist God? He was merely a person who wished to become a god, not a true one. At best, he could only be considered a False God. Making him perform a grand kowtow ritual to a False God was utterly impossible.
“Ignorance is no sin, but please, Sir, remember this: one must always perform the kowtow ritual when worshipping deities. Only then can you prove your devotion. ”
As his words fell, the Old Town Head retrieved three incense sticks and, in front of Yang Haoran, began to worship the Spiritualist God Statue, prostrating himself and performing the grand kowtow ritual.
His actions at this moment served two purposes: one was to set an example for Yang Haoran. The other was that since Yang Haoran was taking a God Statue from the God Temple to worship it elsewhere, he had to inform the deity to avoid its displeasure.
The Old Town Head worshipped and spoke, his tone deeply reverent. Yang Haoran stood by, watching without interrupting, his mind occupied with other thoughts.
A moment later, the Old Town Head rose from the ground and walked over to another God Statue nearby. This statue, though also a Spiritualist God Statue, was smaller, standing approximately half a meter tall.
This statue was neither particularly tall nor exquisitely crafted, but it was decent enough, certainly not a hastily made piece of work.
Standing before this statue, the Old Town Head did not light any more incense. Yet, out of inner reverence, he prostrated himself once more, performed the grand kowtow ritual, and then carefully wrapped the statue tightly in a piece of red cloth.
During the process of wrapping the statue in red cloth, his movements were light, as if he feared that too forceful a movement would harm the statue.
“Sir, this God Statue is now gifted to you. I hope you will not forget: you must worship it once every day, and with devout sincerity. Otherwise, it will be a great disrespect to my God! ”
As he said this, the Old Town Head’s face was devoid of a smile, his expression very serious, and his tone extremely solemn. After speaking, he handed the Spiritualist God Statue, wrapped in red cloth, to Yang Haoran.
“Rest assured, Old Town Head. Since I’ve decided to become a believer of your God, I will certainly be a devout one. I’ll provide him with the finest offerings and never joke around. I swear on my character. ”
Yang Haoran took the statue and responded with equal solemnity, shamelessly swearing on his own character.
“Sir, there’s no need to swear. I can feel your sincerity completely, and I believe my God has also sensed your sincerity. The only slight imperfection is that you didn’t perform the kowtow ritual just now! ”
The Old Town Head brought up the matter again, leaving Yang Haoran a bit speechless. However, he didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction, nor did he intend to perform the grand kowtow ritual to the Spiritualist God Statue again. He simply gave an awkward laugh, feigning complete ignorance of the Old Town Head's implied meaning.
Seeing that Yang Haoran had no intention of re-kowtowing to the Spiritualist God Statue, the Old Town Head didn't press the issue. He smiled and continued.
“But it doesn’t matter. As long as you know what to do in the future. I’ve just shown you how; when you go back, just follow that. Still, the same words hold true: if you wish to receive my God’s protection, devotion is paramount. ”
Yang Haoran nodded like a pecking chicken, as if he had completely taken the Old Town Head’s words to heart.
The Old Town Head was quite satisfied with Yang Haoran's attitude. He smiled, then grabbed Yang Haoran by the arm.
“Since you, Sir, have now chosen to believe in my God, then we are one of our own. Come, let’s leave the God Temple. I’ll introduce you properly to everyone. Between family, there are no formalities. Now that your identity, Sir, has changed, everyone’s attitude towards you will certainly change too. They won’t glare at you angrily or even draw guns on you like before. ”
As he spoke, the Old Town Head tried to pull Yang Haoran out of the God Temple, but Yang Haoran stopped him.
“Old Town Head, please wait a moment. There’s something else I wish to discuss with you. ”
Yang Haoran's words caused a look of confusion to appear in the Old Town Head's eyes.
“It’s the same if we discuss it outside. Wouldn’t it be better if we talked over drinks? ” the Old Town Head asked.
“There are too many ears and loose tongues outside. Besides, you saw what happened earlier, Old Man; the villagers aren’t friendly towards me. Although I now also believe in my God, it’s unclear how much their attitude towards me will change. I don't feel confident, so I still think it's better to discuss it here. ”
Yang Haoran looked troubled. Since things had reached this point, the Old Town Head couldn't insist. Moreover, his curiosity was also piqued by Yang Haoran, so he nodded.
“Alright, tell me. What is it you need to discuss with me? ” the Old Town Head inquired.
“I’d like to meet the Divine Emissary who eliminated the Evil Spirit for you that day. I hope the Old Town Head can help introduce me,” Yang Haoran said.
After all that talking, Yang Haoran finally got to the point.
In truth, obtaining information about that Divine Emissary from the Old Town Head's mouth would have been simple: he could have just killed the Old Town Head, forcibly condensed his soul, and extracted it from the corpse, then used his Ghost Eye ability to get the information he wanted.
However, the Old Town Head bore him no grievance or enmity, and was already advanced in years. He saw no need to resort to killing, which was why he had spent some time on the Old Town Head instead.
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